Saturday’s A$5 million Gr.1 TAB Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill capped an extraordinary day for Grangewilliam Stud’s stallion roster.
The world’s richest two-year-old race was won by the lightly raced filly Marhoona, who is by Snitzel out of the unraced Encosta de Lago mare Salma. Marhoona became the third individual stakes winner for that outstanding broodmare, who is also the dam of Grangewilliam Stud stallion Hilal.
A son of the influential Fastnet Rock, Hilal won three races himself including the Gr.2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m). He also placed in the Gr.1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m), Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) and Gr.2 Skyline Stakes (1200m).
Hilal’s first foals will be arriving next spring. He stands for a $7,500 service fee at Grangewilliam, who also celebrated a first Group One winner for fellow stallion Derryn when standout Kiwi filly Leica Lucy took out Saturday’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
Saturday’s Golden Slipper was the third career start for the Michael Freedman-trained Marhoona. She has now won two of those three, along with a second in the Gr.2 Reisling Stakes (1200m).
“If I’m being honest, I said to a few people earlier today that maybe it would have been nice to have had one more run under our belt, but she’s a special filly,” Freedman said. “When she won at Canterbury at her first start, she ripped half a foot off winning that race, and I thought ‘you’re tough’. And she bounced back from it and went to the Reisling a month later.
“It’s a bit of an unusual preparation, I guess, going into a Slipper at your third start. But, yeah, she’s a special filly.”
